


Home For Christmas Day

by givemesumaurgravy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Army, Artist Steve, Diners, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Soldier Bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 14:44:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18054491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/givemesumaurgravy/pseuds/givemesumaurgravy
Summary: Bucky is in the army and stationed for basic training in a small town. Bucky meets Steve at a diner where he works and they start up a whirl wind romance for the summer before Bucky is deployed.Based on the Hallmark Movie by the same title.





	Home For Christmas Day

Steve had worked at Carter’s Diner since the beginning of June and now that it’s been almost two weeks, Steve finally feels like he knows what he’s doing. He’s always been good with people, well, adults more so than his peers, so that helps him get tips and the makes the hours go by quickly. 

It also doesn’t hurt that Peggy’s usually around.

Despite being completely useless when it comes to talking to women, Steve actually finds it kind of easy to talk with Peggy. She’s absolutely beautiful, and sure, it takes a full six days before Steve can manage actual words, but now it’s becoming much easier to string full sentences together.

It’s a Friday like any other when a group of young boys in military uniforms probably right around Steve’s age come in. Peggy usually takes groups of their classmates or the like, knowing that Steve prefers the much older crowd. This time isn’t different and Steve watches as the boys flirt with Peggy shamelessly.

That is, all but one of them.

The boy sitting at the end of the booth has barely given Peggy a sliver of attention, instead, for some strange reason, he’s focusing on Steve. It makes Steve uncomfortable because usually when this happens, it leads to taunting or something of the like about him being small and weird. 

But… there’s something different about the way this boy is looking at him, some strange intensity in his gaze that makes Steve’s skin tingle pleasantly rather than crawl. 

When Peggy leaves with their orders, Steve tends to a table in the corner, turning his back to the group of military boys. Steve is so in his own head and focused on the job that he’s not really paying attention when he turns back around, leaving him to run straight into his apparent admirer.

“Oof, I’m sorry,” Steve says, blinking up at the boy smirking down at him, making Steve feel like he definitely stood right behind him on purpose.

“My fault. I snuck up on you,” The boy says, hand coming up to rest on his chest, and Steve peaks at the name on his uniform: Barnes. “Our waitress seems to have disappeared, and I forgot to ask her for a water.”

“Um, I can take care of that for you,” Steve says, fumbling with his paper and pencil. 

“Brilliant,” Barnes says, though his gaze lingers on Steve, making Steve feel hot under his collar.

“Uh, anything else I can do for you?” Steve asks, running his suddenly shaking fingers through his hair that always is falling in his face.

“Nope,” Barnes says, popping the ‘p’ and shaking his head with a soft smirk on his mouth. “Just wanted to get a longer look at you, is all.”

“I’m sorry?” Steve asks, brain fizzling out because there’s no way he heard him right.

Barnes just shrugs and raises his eyebrows up once before turning around and heading back to his table. Steve stays standing there for a moment, to surprised to move. 

When Steve sees Peggy come out from the back, he hurries over to her and tells her about the boy’s delayed order. She takes care of it and Steve actively avoids that table until they leave an hour later.

~*~*~

The next time Steve sees Barnes, he’s coming into the diner alone the next day. He takes a moment to look around, and then smiles wide when he makes eye contact with Steve, making Steve’s stomach do a weird flippy thing. 

Peggy is busy with another table, so Steve begrudgingly walks over to him when he sits down at an open table. Steve puts on his best polite face and reads off the specials. 

“I’m glad I get you as my waiter today,” The boy says. 

“What can I get you?” Steve asks, ignoring him and holding his pencil ready. 

“You forgot to tell me your name,” Barnes says. “Am I supposed to guess?”

“It’s Steve,” Steve says, fighting an eye roll.

“Well, hi, Steve,” He says, grinning warmly. “I’m Bucky.”

Bucky holds out his hand and Steve looks at it for a moment like it might be some sort of trick, but then places his in it and gives it a shake. 

“Is your name actually Bucky?”

“No, it's James. James Buchanan Barnes. I just prefer Bucky. It’s more… me, I suppose.”

“Okay,” Steve says, nodding. “Um, would you like to order? Or… I can come back.”

“Is your company on the menu?” Bucky asks, smile bright.

“I’m sorry?” Steve asks. “Is that… are you serious right now?”

“Too cheesy?” Bucky asks, relaxing back into the booth. “I can never tell.”

Steve laughs, relaxing a little. “Does that sort of line usually work for you?” 

“Not sure. You’re the first one I’ve tried it on,” Bucky says with a shrug. “So you tell me.”

Steve stares at him, biting his lip to keep from laughing before he shakes his head, grin finally spreading on his face. 

“Well, shit,” Bucky says, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me I’ve completely blown my chances, though.”

“Maybe not, yet,” Steve says softly, looking down at the notepad in his hand. “I’ll give you a minute and I’ll be back to take your order.”

“Thank you,” Bucky says as Steve turns away. “That will give me some time to come up with a better pick up line, too.”

Steve paused as Bucky spoke, but he just shakes his head and laughs to himself as he walks away. 

~*~*~

Twenty minutes later, Bucky finds himself sitting across from Bucky splitting a BLT and fries. His excuse is that it’s his lunch break and he’s starving, not because Bucky had showered him with compliments and all but begged him to join him for a bite, saying he hated to eat alone. 

“I’ve tried enlisting five times,” Steve admits between bites, eyes trained on Bucky’s sharp uniform.

“Really?” Bucky replies, eyebrows raised as he shoves a few fries in his mouth. 

“Yep. I feel a duty to serve my country, same as you. I just… I’m not exactly the prime example of man. I have a lot of health issues, and I mean, look at me. No one’s really jumping to recruit the likes of me to defend our country,” Steve says, shrugging. 

He’s become good at being self deprecating. He knows what everyone sees when they look at him, knows what they’re thinking the moment they lay eyes on him.

“You know, you don’t have to enlist to serve your country. There are a lot of other options,” Bucky says. 

“I know. I just… I’ve always wanted to join the army. I wanted to suit up and go into battle with my brothers. It’s… it’s stupid,” Steve says, shaking his head and looking down at his plate.

“It’s not,” Bucky says, reaching across the table and brushing his fingers over Steve’s hand. “I definitely get it.”

Steve looks up and meets Bucky’s gaze, smiling shyly. 

“What else do you like?” Bucky asks, retracting his hand and sitting back.

“Um, I like art, I guess,” Steve says. “Like, drawing and painting.”

“That’s cool,” Bucky says. 

“I, um, I go to this studio just outside of town. I volunteer there and they let me have a room to work on my art,” Steve explains.

“That’s really cool, Steve,” Bucky says. “I’d… I’d love to see it, someday.”

“Really?” Steve says, trying not to look too hopeful. 

“Yeah, definitely,” Bucky says with a shrug, like it’s the simplest thing.

“I’d really like to show it to you,” Steve admits, feeling shy again, but then Bucky’s reaching over and wrapping his fingers around Steve’s holding tight this time. 

The rest of Steve’s lunch break passes quickly, and soon enough he’s back to work and Bucky is leaving to head back to base, but not without a promise to see Steve again tomorrow, the napkin with Bucky’s number scrawled across it warm and promising in Steve’s pocket.

**Author's Note:**

> more to come!
> 
> Let know what you think so far and if you have an predictions for what's going to happen next ;)


End file.
